News of the Day From Across the Nation

NATION

Chronicle News Services

Updated 11:07 pm, Thursday, July 26, 2012

Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

News of the Day From Across the Nation

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

1 Slush fund: A veteran New York city councilman was convicted Thursday on nine of 12 counts in a corruption case accusing him of putting hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars meant for community projects in the pockets of his girlfriend and family. The mixed verdict against Larry Seabrook came less than a year after another jury deadlocked on the fraud charges in federal court in Manhattan. His girlfriend was paid more than $400,000 in the scheme, prosecutors charged.

2 Drought worsening: The widest drought to grip the United States in decades is getting worse with no signs of abating, a new government report warned Thursday, as state officials urged conservation. The drought covering two-thirds of the continental United States had been considered relatively shallow, the product of months without rain, rather than years. But Thursday's report showed its intensity is rapidly increasing, with 20 percent of the nation now in the two worst stages of drought - up 7 percent from last week.

3 West Nile virus: Life's a picnic this year for the small, sneaky mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus and pose a deadly risk to humans. Hot, dry weather in the Midwest has created the perfect conditions in still-damp ditches and underground storm water basins where the culex mosquito breeds. Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Texas are reporting higher rates of infected mosquitoes compared with past years. More infected mosquitoes mean a higher risk for humans.

President Trump addresses nation after mass shooting at Florida SchoolWhite House

4 Ponzi funds: Victims of imprisoned Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme could be getting back more of their stolen money. Irving Picard, the trustee in charge of liquidating Madoff's assets, is asking a New York court for permission to distribute another $1.5 billion to $2.4 billion to investors who lost money in Madoff's fraudulent investments. Since Madoff's firm collapsed, some victims have filed lawsuits and complained about how Picard has distributed the money.

5 Daughter's job: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's 14-year-old daughter is working in the State House gift shop in Columbia, raising questions about nepotism that the governor's office declines to answer. Starting on July 16 and continuing this week, the governor's office would not answer questions about young Haley's job and about whether it constituted nepotism, citing safety concerns.

6 Voting rights: Alabama is asking a federal court to rule that its redistricting plan for the state Legislature does not violate the Voting Rights Act. The state filed a lawsuit in Washington on Thursday seeking a judgment that the plan does not deny or abridge the right to vote based on race or color. Also at issue is a provision of the law requiring state and local governments with a history of discrimination to obtain advance approval from the Justice Department before changing elections procedures.